Locking closure means for flexible packages



Jan. 30, 1968 E, LQWENBERG ETAL 3,366,312

LOCKING CLOSURE MEANS FOR FLEXIBLE PACKAGES Filed Feb. 8, 1963 INVENTORS EMANUEL KUGLER EDNA LOWENBERG ATTO Y United States Patent ()fi ice Patented Jan. 30, 1968 3,366,312 LOCKING CLOSURE MEANS FOR FLEXIBLE PACKAGES Edna Lowenberg, Brooklyn, N.Y., and Emanuel Kugier,

124 Richmond Place, Lawrence, NY. 11559, assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, to said Emanuel Kugler Filed Feb. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 257,302 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-62) This invention is concerned generally with the bag art; more specifically it describes a bag with an improved closure construction; and in detail, it describes a container closure with flaps that may be bowed inward for locking purposes.

Bags such as of polyethylene or the like, with reinforcing elements in the header portion thereof, are well known. Such containers are desirable in that the reinforcing element will provide stiffness and rigidity to the container while hanging on a display rack, or the like.

Such containers, however, suffer from several well known and common disadvantages. For example, it is generally considered diflicult to provide the opening to the container in the area of the header portion thereof. Additionally, such containers are not easily reusable once opened.

It is a cardinal object of this invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved container such as a bag having a locking closure that will be decorative, attractive and efficient.

Another primary object of this device is to provide a container such as a flexible bag, which may be readily and repeatedly opened and closed.

Another principal object of this invention is to describe a container closure that will not inadvertently or spontaneously open or close, except as desired.

An additional object is the provision of a flexible container with a rigid head portion to protect items packaged within.

A further purpose of the product set forth herein is to provide a container which will be inexpensive and easily mass-produced and which may be utilized for any well known purpose such as for a display rack, on a shelf, etc.

The invention described herein will be useful especially in flexible bags wherein the forward and rear walls are disposed in a parallel and flat relationship prior to the filling thereof. It is to be emphasized, however, that the invention may be conveniently utilized as a closure for any well known container in that a very neat, eflicient, and economical closure is obtained.

With these objects in view, the invention consists of the novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will appear in the following specification and recited in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals indicate the same parts throughout the various figures and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the invention applied to a flexible package or the like, with the parts shown in the bag open position.

FIG. 2 is a sectional View taken substantially through the center of the bag and along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fractional View corresponding to FIG. 1, but showing one of the closure flaps in the closed position.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing one of the closure flaps closed, taken substantially along line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fractional front elevational view of the bag as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a fractional perspective view with both of the closure flaps in the closed position with a portion of the upper closure flap broken away.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 7 7 of FIG. 6- showing the bag in the closed position.

Referring to the drawings, there is disclosed a flexible package or the like, designated generally as 10 illustrating the features of this invention.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated consists of a package fabricated of two overlying walls 11 and 12 closed at either end 14 and 15 and at the bottom 16. The top of the container will be open as at 13 to receive the article to be packaged therewithin.

It will be emphasized, as mentioned heretofore, that although a specific flexible package 10 is described, the instant invention, which will be set forth in detail herein, may be applied to any of the well known containers of any material. Especially, any well known flexible package may be utilized, such as those having gussets at the sides and/or bottoms, those having secondary openings, etc.

Fastened at the opening of the flexible package 10 will be a pair of relatively stiff but partially flexible members 20 and 21. The said members may be integral with the over-lying walls 11 and 12 of the flexible package 10, or may be fastened thereto by any well known means. Additionally, only a fraction of the members 20 and 21 may be attached to the said walls 11 and 12. If the material comprising the major portion of the flexible package 10 is a material such as polyethylene, the members 20 and 21, which may be cardboard, may be heat sealed thereto as is well known in the art.

Each of the members 20 and 21 may be identical in shape and will have convex or protuberant arcuate upper surfaces 24 and 25. The said arcuate upper surfaces 24 and 25 should be in the form of a smooth curve, and when in their juxtaposed position on the flexible package 10, prior to the filling thereof, they should be in a substantially aligned and registered relationship.

As seen especially in FIG. 1, each of the members 20 and 21 will further have weakened and scored lines 30 and 31 respectively to facilitate the folding thereof along predetermined lines thereby forming flaps 40 and 41. Each of the weakened or scored lines 30 and 31 will be substantially a mirror image of the corresponding arcuate upper surface 24 or 25, respectively, and will commence at common points 34 and 35 therewith. Lines 30 and 31 will, therefore, each be concave or incurved.

The flexible package 10 may be supplied in its initially flattened condition as demonstrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Suitable advertising or other indicia may be pre-printed on suitable surfaces of the said package.

The item to be packaged will then be inserted through the opening 13 between the stiff members 20 and 21 by hand or by automatic equipment as is well known. The members 20 and 21 will still be in their juxtaposed aligned and registered positions.

To close and lock the flexible package 10, one of the flaps 40 is folded along the arcuate scored line 30 as in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Due to the inwardly bowed shape which must be assumed by the flap 40 of the said member 20 when in its folded position, the said'upper portion 40 will tend to remain in this position. Should the flap portion 40 tend to spontaneously open, this opening will be resisted by the spring like bending or toggle action of the said flap 40. This toggle effect produced by the inward bend of each of the flaps 4t} and 41 when in their assembled position, results in the improvement of this invention.

Of course, it will be realized that the product of this invention may be fabricated with only one such flap 40, in that even one flap will tend to remain closed and will retain articles within the package. However, there is shown herein, an embodiment of the invention with two such flaps 40 and 41.

The tendency of the flaps to lock may be enhanced by increasing the rigidity of the members 20 and 21.

It is to be noted that at least one of the flaps 41 may be provided with a central aperture 45 which may be reinforced by a grommet, or may support a string, so that the package when in its partially closed position, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, may be hung on a display rack or the like. When the package 10 is to be utilized in this fashion, appropriate indicia or other printed matter may appear on the inward surface 48 of the upstanding flap 41 for'improved sales value. A package so displayed will not only be efliciently held closed by the inwardly bowed flap 40, but will be extremely decorative. The relatively stiff members and 21 being held apart by the distance between the arcuate upper surface 25 and the scored line 31, will provide body and bulk to the bag, thus displaying the goods therewithin to best advantage.

In that the flap 4!) may be placed in its bag closing position relatively easily by simple urging, the goods may be stored and transported to a dealer in a form as shown in FIG. 1, which will be compact and space saving. When displayed ,on a rack, however, for customer approval the flap 40 may be placed in its locking position thus sealing the container and providing body and bulk thereto.

When the item is sold, the remaining flap 41 may be urged downward along its score line so that it overlies in superimposed relationship the first flap 40. This second flap 41 will again inwardly bow and will thus tend to also remain in position against any tendency to spontaneously open This will effectively double the closure action and insure that the package will not prematurely open.

Set forth above, therefore, is a toggle type closure with a snap-over-center construction with a reinforced edge for a bag.

For certain containers, it will be preferable to fabricate the body of the container itself from a rigid material such as cardboard, with the snap-over flaps made integral with the remainder of the container merely by providing the arcuate surfaces and scored arcuate lines at the opening as set forth above, Of course, such a container may have a window opening covered with a transparent material such as acetate, cellophane, or polyethylene, or the like, to provide viewing of the contents therein.

It will be seen then that this invention provides an improved closure for a bag or the like that may be easily opened to receive an article to be packaged therewithin, for the removal of the article, etc. When the flaps are in their snapped-over or locked position, they will prevent inadvertent removal of the contents of the bag. The closure may be reused any number of times without loss of efficiency.

Additionally, the flaps, if provided on a flexible bag, will not only provide rigidity and shape to the said bag, but will provide a bulk area there within for better packaging, although the bags may be transported in a flattened condition.

The blank from which the closure is formed will be relatively economical and may be applied to the web, forming the bag, by any of several well known commercially available means. The entire device lends itself to ease of mass-production.

The collapsible feature of the container herein is of special importance in that it facilitates storage, transportation and handling of the container in a compact or flattened condition while enabling setup and subsequent closure of the container after filling by relatively simple flap turning operations.

The highly attractive appearance of the container and its ability for repeated and efficient use, merely by the snapping of flaps, will enhance its sales value and that of items therewithin.

It should further be emphasized that the upper arcuate surface is not necessary, especially when the unique closure means described herein is used in conjunction with bulk containers and with bags with side expansion gussets. In such a device, each half of the closure means may, at its external ends, have a substantial width to accommodate the width of the open container.

While there are above disclosed but a limited number of embodiments of the structure and product ofthe invention herein presented, it is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations be imposed on the appended claims as are stated therein, or required by the prior art.

Having thus described our invention and illustrated its use, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: p

1. A flexible bag comprising a pair of overlying walls fabricated of plastic sheet material, said bag walls being attached to each other so as to form a bag enclosure, said bag enclosure having an opening bounded by confronting unattached marginal edges of said bag walls, a closure member for said bag opening, said closure member including a body fabricated of cardboard and formed by a pair of overlying walls, said closure member walls being joined to each other along opposite sides and terminating in unattached upper and lower edges defining a central opening for said closure member between said walls, said upper edge of each closure member wall having a convex shape and a folding flap delineated along said edge by a concavely-shaped score line extending between opposite ends of said edge and spaced inwardly therefrom, each said flap being foldable along said score line between an open position bounding said central opening of said closure member and a closed position with respect to said central opening and means joining said closure member to said unattached marginal edges of said bag wall at said bag opening such that said central opening of said closure member serves as an extension of said bag opening whereby said flaps on said closure member facilitate the filling of said bag in said open position thereof and form a closure for said bag in said closed position thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,070,278 12/ 1962 Korn 22962 2,394,335 2/ 1946 Shapiro 22962 2,804,258 8/ 1957- Petter 22987 3,085,738 4/1963 Bok 229-62 2,984,401 5/ 1961 Herkender 22941 3,066,845 12/ 1962 Mattanay 229 2,966,293 12/1960 Goldsholl 2298 FOREIGN PATENTS 796,271 6/ 1958 Great Britain. 66,428 8/ 1950 Netherlands.

DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner.

J. L. KRUTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FLEXIBLE BAG COMPRISING A PAIR OF OVERLYING WALLS FABRICTED OF PLASTIC SHEET MATERIAL, SAID BAG WALLS BEING ATTACHED TO EACH OTHER SO AS TO FORM A BAG ENCLOSURE, SAID BAG ENCLOSURE HAVING AN OPENING BOUNDED BY CONFRONTING UNATTACHED MARGINAL EDGES OF SAID BAG WALLS, A CLOSURE MEMBER FOR SAID BAG OPENING, SAID CLOSURE MEMBER INCLUDING A BODY FABRICATED OF CARDBOARD AND FORMED BY A PAIR OF OVERLYING WALLS, SAID CLOSURE MEMBER WALLS BEING JOINED TO EACH OTHER ALONG OPPOSITE SIDES AND TERMINATING IN UNATTACHED UPPER AND LOWER EDGES DEFINING A CENTRAL OPENING FOR SAID CLOSURE MEMBER BETWEEN SAID WALLS, SAID UPPER EDGE OF EACH CLOSURE MEMBER WALL HAVING A CONVEX SHAPE AND A FOLDING FLAP DELINEATED ALONG SAID EDGE BY A CONCAVELY-SHARPED SCORE LINE EXTENDING BETWEEN OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID EDGE AND SPACED INWARDLY THEREFROM, EACH SAID FLAP BEING FOLDABLE ALONG SAID SCORE LINE BETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION BOUNDING SAID CENTRAL OPENING OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AND A CLOSED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID CENTRAL OPENING AND MEANS JOINING SAID CLOSURE MEMBER TO SAID UNATTACHED MARGINAL EDGES OF SAID BAG WALLS AT SAID BAG OPENING SUCH THAT SAID CENTRAL OPENING OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER SERVES AS AN EXTENSION OF SAID BAG OPENING WHEREBY SAID FLAPS ON SAID CLOSURE MEMBER FACILITATE THE FILLING OF SAID BAG IN SAID OPEN POSITION THEREOF AND FORM A CLOSURE FOR SAID BAG IN SAID CLOSED POSITION THEREOF. 